Career and Education Opportunities for Architectural Drafters in Fullerton, California

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for architectural drafters in the Fullerton, California area. About 18,100 people are currently employed as architectural drafters in California. By 2016, this is expected to shrink by 2% to about 17,700 people employed. This is not quite as good as the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for architectural drafters are expected to grow by about 9.1%. In general, architectural drafters prepare detailed drawings of architectural designs and plans for buildings and structures according to specifications provided by architect.

Architectural drafters earn approximately $25 per hour or $52,200 annually on average in California. Nationally they average about $21 hourly or $44,490 annually. Compared with people working in the overall category of Drafting, people working as architectural drafters in California earn more. They earn less than people working in the overall category of Drafting nationally. Jobs in this field include: marine drafter, architecture technician, and oil and gas drafter.

There are twelve schools within twenty-five miles of Fullerton where you can study to be an architectural drafter, among ninety-two schools of higher education total in the Fullerton area. Given that the most common education level for architectural drafters is an Associate's, or other 2-year degree, it will take about two years to learn to be an architectural drafter if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Architectural Drafter

In general, architectural drafters prepare detailed drawings of architectural designs and plans for buildings and structures according to specifications provided by architect.

Architectural drafters operate computer-aided drafting (CAD) equipment or conventional drafting stations to produce designs, working drawings, charts, forms and records. They also obtain and assemble data to finish architectural designs, visiting job sites to compile measurements as needed. Equally important, architectural drafters have to analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to establish their effect on architectural designs. They are often called upon to direct structural, electrical and mechanical designs and decide on a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans. Finally, architectural drafters draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings and structures, on the basis of preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets and other data.

Every day, architectural drafters are expected to be able to visualize how things come together and can be organized. They need to think through problems and come up with general rules. It is also important that they see details at a very fine level of focus.

It is important for architectural drafters to lay out and plan interior room arrangements for commercial buildings using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment and software. They are often called upon to develop freehand drawings and lettering to accompany drawings. They also check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to records of materials. They are sometimes expected to ready colored drawings of landscape and interior designs for presentation to client. Somewhat less frequently, architectural drafters are also expected to represent architect on construction site, ensuring builder adherence to layout specifications and advising on layout corrections, under architect's supervision.

They also have to be able to build landscape, architectural and display models And finally, they sometimes have to ready cost estimates, contracts, bidding documents and technical summaries for specific projects under an architect's supervision.

Like many other jobs, architectural drafters must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Fullerton include:

CAD/CAM Specialist. Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, and other engineering information.

Civil Draftsman. Prepare drawings and topographical and relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, pipelines, flood control projects, and water and sewerage control systems.

Civil Engineering Technician. Apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities under the direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.

Equipment Engineering Technician. Apply electrical theory and related knowledge to test and modify developmental or operational electrical machinery and electrical control equipment and circuitry in industrial or commercial plants and laboratories. Usually work under direction of engineering staff.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Architectural Drafter Training

ITT Technical Institute-Anaheim - Anaheim, CA

ITT Technical Institute-Anaheim, 525 N Muller Street, Anaheim, CA 92801. ITT Technical Institute-Anaheim is a small school located in Anaheim, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 960 students and an admission rate of 50%. ITT Technical Institute-Anaheim has an associate's degree program in CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician which graduated seventy-two students in 2008.

Orange Coast College - Costa Mesa, CA

Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-5005. Orange Coast College is a large college located in Costa Mesa, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 24,700 students. Orange Coast College has 2 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, less than one year, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated thirteen, ten, twenty-one, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated three, two, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Fullerton College - Fullerton, CA

Fullerton College, 321 E Chapman Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832-2095. Fullerton College is a large college located in Fullerton, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 22,500 students. Fullerton College has 2 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated one, two, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated two, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Long Beach City College - Long Beach, CA

Long Beach City College, 4901 E. Carson St., Long Beach, CA 90808-1706. Long Beach City College is a large college located in Long Beach, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 26,097 students. Long Beach City College has 3 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated three, five, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, two to four year.

Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated six, four, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Cerritos College - Norwalk, CA

Cerritos College, 11110 Alondra Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650-6298. Cerritos College is a large college located in Norwalk, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 22,228 students. Cerritos College has 2 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated six, ten, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated six, three, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Brownson Technical School - Anaheim, CA

Brownson Technical School, 1110 Technology Cir Ste D, Anaheim, CA 92805. Brownson Technical School is a small school located in Anaheim, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 47 students. Brownson Technical School has a less than one year and a one to two year program in CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician.

Santa Ana College - Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana College, 1530 W. 17th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706-3398. Santa Ana College is a large college located in Santa Ana, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 26,464 students. Santa Ana College has 2 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated five, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated two, one, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Cypress College - Cypress, CA

Cypress College, 9200 Valley View, Cypress, CA 90630-5897. Cypress College is a large college located in Cypress, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 14,990 students. Cypress College has an associate's degree program in Drafting and Design Technology/Technician.

Golden West College - Huntington Beach, CA

Golden West College, 15744 Golden West, Huntington Beach, CA 92647-2710. Golden West College is a large college located in Huntington Beach, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 14,000 students. Golden West College has 3 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated eight, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated eight, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD, two to four year.

Irvine Valley College - Irvine, CA

Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618-0301. Irvine Valley College is a medium sized college located in Irvine, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 11,963 students. Irvine Valley College has an associate's degree and a two to four year program in Drafting and Design Technology/Technician which graduated one and zero students respectively in 2008.

Westwood College-Anaheim - Anaheim, CA

Westwood College-Anaheim, 1551 S. Douglass Rd, Anaheim, CA 92806. Westwood College-Anaheim is a small college located in Anaheim, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 989 students and an admission rate of 42%. Westwood College-Anaheim has an associate's degree program in Drafting and Design Technology/Technician which graduated six students in 2008.

Saddleback College - Mission Viejo, CA

Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Pky, Mission Viejo, CA 92692-3635. Saddleback College is a large college located in Mission Viejo, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 20,706 students. Saddleback College has 2 areas of study related to Architectural Drafter. They are:

Architectural Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated five, fourteen, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated three, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Planning and Scheduling Professional:
The PSP certification is to recognize specialists who meet a demanding set of planning and scheduling criteria by a rigorous examination, experience, education and ethical qualificaion.

Certified Transfer Station Technical Associate:
This certification was developed to address the increased interest in transfer stations and provide transfer station managers and others the opportunity to learn more about transfer station design and operation.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Fullerton, California

Fullerton, California photo by Geographer

Fullerton is located in Orange County, California. It has a population of over 131,868, which has grown by 4.7% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Fullerton, 140, is far greater than the national average. New single-family homes in Fullerton are valued at $177,700 on average, which is far less than the state average. In 2008, thirty-one new homes were built in Fullerton, down from thirty-five the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Fullerton are educational services, health care, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is construction, accommodation and food services, and professional, scientific, and technical services. The average commute to work is about 27 minutes. More than 31.3% of Fullerton residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 10.8%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Fullerton is 10.8%, which is less than California's average of 12.3%.

The percentage of Fullerton residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 44.8%, is less than the national average but more than the state average. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the LDS (Mormon) Church and the Charismatic Churches Independent.

Fullerton is home to the Fullerton Public Library and the Muckenthaler Cultural Center as well as Hermosa School Park and Woodcrest Park. Shopping centers in the area include Fullerton Town Center Shopping Center, Fullerton University Shopping Center and West Fullerton Shopping Center. Visitors to Fullerton can choose from AKUA Motor Inn, Ambassador Inn and Anaheim Park Hotel for temporary stays in the area.